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Our beautiful blue planet, as is well known, owes its name to the fact that much of its surface is covered with Water, an essential resource for terrestrial life. But how is it distributed?
In this post we are going to make a small introduction to this interesting question, going beyond what we all know from hearsay. Because, regardless of the fact that almost three-quarters of the planet are oceans, occupying 70 percent of its surface, the distribution of water is highly variable.
On the one hand, the ocean is the source of most of the planet's precipitation, and it is from the rain that the fresh water needs of plants, animals and people are satisfied. Pay attention and discover in Green Ecologist how is the distribution of water in the world.
The hydrological cycle distributes water
At this point, it is essential to talk about the call hydrological cycle or water cycle, from which it circulates in the hydrosphere, carrying out a process known as the biogeochemical cycle from which the water changes its physical state and moves from one place to another. Through evaporation, solar energy acting as a motor, large deposits of water vapor are formed, which then becomes liquid or solid on Earth.
The salt water is the most abundantAs we pointed out, reaching 1,400 million cubic kilometers, and then we have liquid fresh water that we find in rivers, lakes or, for example, groundwater, in addition to glaciers or atmospheric water. Thus, through evaporation a flow is produced that constantly completes the cycle.
However, the distribution of natural water is modified by human action. Currently, the diversion and control of water in nature have interrupted or alternated this hydrological cycle.
As a result, not only has its distribution changed, but also available fresh water has been reduced. Today, our blue planet is still a saltwater world, with freshwater accounting for only 2.8 percent of the total volume.
With the aggravating factor that of this, ice and snow are the majority (2.1 percent), leaving only 0.7 percent of it for available fresh water. That is, man can only use less than 1 percent of the total volume of fresh water, including rivers, groundwater, natural or artificial reservoirs.
The geographical distribution of water
The geographical distribution of the water, map in hand, leads us to distinguish, for example, a different surface of the ocean in both hemispheres, with a much larger ocean surface in the South than in the North.
Not surprisingly, the Antarctic continent is covered by ice, unlike the North, where the ice floats in the Arctic Ocean, so these important contrasts in the distribution between liquid and solid water are observed. In turn, these differences also translate into differences when water reaches the atmosphere, so its distribution will also be uneven.
The differences in solar radiation that exist between different regions also affects their distribution, so atmospheric characteristics also influence this. Basically, most of the water in the atmosphere is found in the tropics, where evaporation from warm ocean waters is intense.
The importance of distributing water
If the distribution of fresh water between countries is concerned, we must affirm that it is very uneven. Some countries, such as Brazil or India, Canada, Russia or Colombia are very rich in water, while others have a chronic lack of water, among them Jordan or Malta. Similarly, differences exist within countries.
That is why saying that a country is rich in water does not mean that its entire territory is. Although new technologies and infrastructures facilitate their distribution, they cannot always be implemented, either for technical reasons or due to lack of budget.
As a consequence, also in the countries that are world powers in water there are regions that suffer from severe droughts. This, regardless of the quality of the water, since its contamination by natural or human causes constitutes another aspect that can significantly reduce the amount of consumable water.
Taking into account, on the other hand, that water needs do not stop increasing, among other reasons due to urbanization, development and the increase in population worldwide. Its best distribution, therefore, is one of the great challenges of humanity for the future and, ideally, of course, for now.
On the other hand, the advance of climate change it also implies a greater frequency and intensity of extreme events, such as droughts and heat waves. This, without taking into account that floods, hurricanes and tsunamis are also a threat to guarantee the supply of drinking water and, in general, the same can be said of natural disasters in general.
Equally, global warming It is an important factor in the advance of desertification, a problem that lies ahead in much of the planet, closely related to the unequal distribution of water. Lastly, let us not forget that water is a natural resource that must be cared for as a priority, since it is essential for the life of the planet and of all of us.
If you want to read more articles similar to Distribution of water in the world, we recommend that you enter our category of Renewable Energies.
